diff --git a/apps/web/src/App.tsx b/apps/web/src/App.tsx
index 206b74f..c886391 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/App.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/App.tsx
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ import type {
   TelemetryCard,
 } from "@dimensionlab/dashboard-model";
 import type { DashboardRuntimeState } from "$lib/server/dashboard";
+import {
+  attachDashboardRefreshLifecycle,
+  createDashboardRequestAborter,
+  shouldPauseDashboardRefresh,
+} from "$lib/client/dashboard-refresh";
 import { dashboardDocumentToUiDashboard } from "$lib/ui-adapter/model-renderer";
 import {
   DashboardFrame,
@@ -151,65 +156,97 @@ export default function App() {
     let cancelled = false;
     let refreshTimer: number | undefined;
     let hydrationRun = 0;
+    const requestAborter = createDashboardRequestAborter();
 
-    async function loadDashboard() {
-      const response = await fetch("/api/dashboard");
-      const nextDashboard = (await response.json()) as DashboardRuntimeState;
-
-      if (cancelled) return;
-      setDashboard(nextDashboard);
-
-      const currentRun = ++hydrationRun;
-      if (
-        nextDashboard.state === "ready" &&
-        nextDashboard.liveDatasourceHydration?.enabled !== false
-      ) {
-        const tiles = dashboardHydrationTiles(nextDashboard.document);
-        setHydratingItemIds(new Set(tiles.map(dashboardTileKey)));
-        hydrateDashboardTiles(tiles, currentRun);
-      } else {
-        setHydratingItemIds(new Set());
-      }
+    function refreshPaused() {
+      return shouldPauseDashboardRefresh({
+        visibilityState: document.visibilityState,
+        online: navigator.onLine,
+      });
+    }
 
+    function clearRefreshTimer() {
       if (refreshTimer) {
         window.clearInterval(refreshTimer);
         refreshTimer = undefined;
       }
+    }
 
-      const refreshIntervalSeconds =
-        nextDashboard.state === "ready"
-          ? nextDashboard.document.metadata.refreshIntervalSeconds
-          : undefined;
+    function pauseRefreshes() {
+      clearRefreshTimer();
+      requestAborter.abortActiveRequests();
+      setHydratingItemIds(new Set());
+    }
 
-      if (refreshIntervalSeconds) {
-        refreshTimer = window.setInterval(
-          () => void loadDashboard(),
-          refreshIntervalSeconds * 1000,
-        );
+    async function loadDashboard() {
+      if (cancelled || refreshPaused()) return;
+
+      const shellSignal = requestAborter.beginShellRun();
+
+      try {
+        const response = await fetch("/api/dashboard", { signal: shellSignal });
+        const nextDashboard = (await response.json()) as DashboardRuntimeState;
+
+        if (cancelled || shellSignal.aborted || refreshPaused()) return;
+        setDashboard(nextDashboard);
+
+        const currentRun = ++hydrationRun;
+        if (
+          nextDashboard.state === "ready" &&
+          nextDashboard.liveDatasourceHydration?.enabled !== false
+        ) {
+          const tiles = dashboardHydrationTiles(nextDashboard.document);
+          const tileSignal = requestAborter.beginTileRun();
+          setHydratingItemIds(new Set(tiles.map(dashboardTileKey)));
+          hydrateDashboardTiles(tiles, currentRun, tileSignal);
+        } else {
+          setHydratingItemIds(new Set());
+        }
+
+        clearRefreshTimer();
+
+        const refreshIntervalSeconds =
+          nextDashboard.state === "ready"
+            ? nextDashboard.document.metadata.refreshIntervalSeconds
+            : undefined;
+
+        if (refreshIntervalSeconds && !refreshPaused()) {
+          refreshTimer = window.setInterval(
+            () => void loadDashboard(),
+            refreshIntervalSeconds * 1000,
+          );
+        }
+      } catch (error) {
+        if (!isAbortError(error) && !cancelled) {
+          console.error("Dashboard refresh failed", error);
+        }
       }
     }
 
     function hydrateDashboardTiles(
       tiles: DashboardTileReference[],
       run: number,
+      signal: AbortSignal,
     ) {
       tiles.forEach((tile) => {
-        void hydrateDashboardTile(tile, run);
+        void hydrateDashboardTile(tile, run, signal);
       });
     }
 
     async function hydrateDashboardTile(
       tile: DashboardTileReference,
       run: number,
+      signal: AbortSignal,
     ) {
       const key = dashboardTileKey(tile);
 
       try {
-        const response = await fetch(dashboardTileUrl(tile));
+        const response = await fetch(dashboardTileUrl(tile), { signal });
         const tileResponse = (await response.json()) as DashboardTileResponse;
 
         if (
           cancelled ||
+          signal.aborted ||
           run !== hydrationRun ||
           !response.ok ||
           tileResponse.state !== "ready"
@@ -226,8 +263,12 @@ export default function App() {
               }
             : current,
         );
+      } catch (error) {
+        if (!isAbortError(error) && !cancelled) {
+          console.error("Dashboard tile hydration failed", error);
+        }
       } finally {
-        if (!cancelled && run === hydrationRun) {
+        if (!cancelled && !signal.aborted && run === hydrationRun) {
           setHydratingItemIds((current) => {
             const next = new Set(current);
             next.delete(key);
@@ -237,11 +278,21 @@ export default function App() {
       }
     }
 
+    const detachRefreshLifecycle = attachDashboardRefreshLifecycle({
+      documentTarget: document,
+      windowTarget: window,
+      loadDashboard,
+      pauseRefreshes,
+      refreshPaused: () => cancelled || refreshPaused(),
+    });
+
     void loadDashboard();
 
     return () => {
       cancelled = true;
-      if (refreshTimer) window.clearInterval(refreshTimer);
+      clearRefreshTimer();
+      requestAborter.abortActiveRequests();
+      detachRefreshLifecycle();
     };
   }, []);
 
@@ -275,6 +326,15 @@ function getThemeStorage(): Storage | undefined {
   }
 }
 
+function isAbortError(error: unknown): boolean {
+  return (
+    typeof error === "object" &&
+    error !== null &&
+    "name" in error &&
+    error.name === "AbortError"
+  );
+}
+
 function markHydratingItems(
   dashboard: UiDashboardPreview,
   hydratingItemIds?: ReadonlySet<string>,
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/client/dashboard-refresh.test.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/client/dashboard-refresh.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75305d5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/client/dashboard-refresh.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+import {
+  attachDashboardRefreshLifecycle,
+  createDashboardRequestAborter,
+  shouldPauseDashboardRefresh,
+} from "./dashboard-refresh";
+
+describe("dashboard refresh lifecycle", () => {
+  test("pauses refreshes when the document is hidden or the browser is offline", () => {
+    expect(
+      shouldPauseDashboardRefresh({ visibilityState: "visible", online: true }),
+    ).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      shouldPauseDashboardRefresh({ visibilityState: "hidden", online: true }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      shouldPauseDashboardRefresh({ visibilityState: "visible", online: false }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test("aborts shell and tile requests when a new shell run starts", () => {
+    const aborter = createDashboardRequestAborter();
+    const shellSignal = aborter.beginShellRun();
+    const tileSignal = aborter.beginTileRun();
+
+    const nextShellSignal = aborter.beginShellRun();
+
+    expect(shellSignal.aborted).toBe(true);
+    expect(tileSignal.aborted).toBe(true);
+    expect(nextShellSignal.aborted).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  test("aborts active requests when refreshes are paused", () => {
+    const aborter = createDashboardRequestAborter();
+    const shellSignal = aborter.beginShellRun();
+    const tileSignal = aborter.beginTileRun();
+
+    aborter.abortActiveRequests();
+
+    expect(shellSignal.aborted).toBe(true);
+    expect(tileSignal.aborted).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  test("pauses on hidden, offline, and pagehide events then resumes immediately when visible", () => {
+    const documentTarget = new EventTarget();
+    const windowTarget = new EventTarget();
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    let paused = true;
+
+    const detach = attachDashboardRefreshLifecycle({
+      documentTarget,
+      windowTarget,
+      loadDashboard: () => {
+        calls.push("load");
+      },
+      pauseRefreshes: () => {
+        calls.push("pause");
+      },
+      refreshPaused: () => paused,
+    });
+
+    documentTarget.dispatchEvent(new Event("visibilitychange"));
+    windowTarget.dispatchEvent(new Event("offline"));
+    windowTarget.dispatchEvent(new Event("pagehide"));
+
+    paused = false;
+    documentTarget.dispatchEvent(new Event("visibilitychange"));
+    windowTarget.dispatchEvent(new Event("online"));
+
+    detach();
+    documentTarget.dispatchEvent(new Event("visibilitychange"));
+    windowTarget.dispatchEvent(new Event("online"));
+
+    expect(calls).toEqual(["pause", "pause", "pause", "load", "load"]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/apps/web/src/lib/client/dashboard-refresh.ts b/apps/web/src/lib/client/dashboard-refresh.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1124b27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/web/src/lib/client/dashboard-refresh.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+export interface DashboardRefreshPauseState {
+  visibilityState: DocumentVisibilityState;
+  online: boolean;
+}
+
+export function shouldPauseDashboardRefresh(
+  state: DashboardRefreshPauseState,
+): boolean {
+  return state.visibilityState !== "visible" || !state.online;
+}
+
+export function createDashboardRequestAborter() {
+  let shellController: AbortController | undefined;
+  let tileController: AbortController | undefined;
+
+  function abortController(controller: AbortController | undefined) {
+    if (controller && !controller.signal.aborted) {
+      controller.abort();
+    }
+  }
+
+  return {
+    beginShellRun(): AbortSignal {
+      abortController(shellController);
+      abortController(tileController);
+      shellController = new AbortController();
+      tileController = undefined;
+      return shellController.signal;
+    },
+    beginTileRun(): AbortSignal {
+      abortController(tileController);
+      tileController = new AbortController();
+      return tileController.signal;
+    },
+    abortActiveRequests(): void {
+      abortController(shellController);
+      abortController(tileController);
+      shellController = undefined;
+      tileController = undefined;
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+type DashboardRefreshEventTarget = Pick<
+  EventTarget,
+  "addEventListener" | "removeEventListener"
+>;
+
+export interface DashboardRefreshLifecycleOptions {
+  documentTarget: DashboardRefreshEventTarget;
+  windowTarget: DashboardRefreshEventTarget;
+  loadDashboard: () => void | Promise<void>;
+  pauseRefreshes: () => void;
+  refreshPaused: () => boolean;
+}
+
+export function attachDashboardRefreshLifecycle(
+  options: DashboardRefreshLifecycleOptions,
+): () => void {
+  function handleRefreshLifecycleChange() {
+    if (options.refreshPaused()) {
+      options.pauseRefreshes();
+      return;
+    }
+
+    void options.loadDashboard();
+  }
+
+  function handlePageHide() {
+    options.pauseRefreshes();
+  }
+
+  options.documentTarget.addEventListener(
+    "visibilitychange",
+    handleRefreshLifecycleChange,
+  );
+  options.windowTarget.addEventListener("online", handleRefreshLifecycleChange);
+  options.windowTarget.addEventListener("offline", handleRefreshLifecycleChange);
+  options.windowTarget.addEventListener("pagehide", handlePageHide);
+
+  return () => {
+    options.documentTarget.removeEventListener(
+      "visibilitychange",
+      handleRefreshLifecycleChange,
+    );
+    options.windowTarget.removeEventListener("online", handleRefreshLifecycleChange);
+    options.windowTarget.removeEventListener("offline", handleRefreshLifecycleChange);
+    options.windowTarget.removeEventListener("pagehide", handlePageHide);
+  };
+}